Twilight/Chapter 5
Chapter description :Squirrelflight follows her sister, Leafpool, as Firestar leads ThunderClan to the island for the first official Gathering on the island. Squirrelflight thinks that StarClan would be pleased about how they are settling in. She is excited to be attending the first Gathering at the territories around the lake, and as they cross WindClan, she feels homesick as she turns to Leafpool. She recalls that it was easier at Fourtrees, where they didn't have to cross any other Clan territory to get to Gatherings. Leafpool responds that Clans cannot fight during Gatherings. Squirrelflight isn't sure, and asks when the truce starts - if it's on the way to get to the island, or when they arrive. Leafpool shakes her head, unable to reply. :The Clan makes good time as they hurry towards the Gathering place, and Squirrelflight thinks of Daisy, the Horseplace cat who was pregnant. Squirrelflight wonders if she had her kits yet, and Leafpool meows that ThunderClan queens should start having kits, as the Clan is short of young cats. Squirrelflight agrees, thinking that new kits meant new apprentices, which meant she wouldn't have to collect moss for the elders. As ThunderClan reaches the foot of the fallen tree branch, Squirrelflight is aware of Brambleclaw's amber eyes watching her, but they give nothing of how he truly feels. :Ignoring him, she turns to Ashfur and expresses her excitement about exploring the island for the first time. Onestar tells Firestar that Leopardstar and Blackstar, the leaders of RiverClan and ShadowClan whom had already arrived, had agreed on having a chance to explore the island before the Gathering started. Cloudtail asks where they should meet when the Gathering starts, and Firestar replies that only StarClan knows, but they shouldn't get lost as the island is not very large. Firestar then gives his Clan permission to cross the fallen tree which acts as a bridge from the shore of the lake to the island. Squirrelflight starts to cross, but is spooked at the thought of slipping. :Ashfur urges her to go on, as she is keeping every cat waiting. Squirrelflight's confidence grows as she crosses and reaches the end. She lets out a yowl as she lands, and Dustpelt turns around, exclaiming that she scared him. Her former mentor scolds her, stating that any cat would think she was a kit from the way she is behaving. Squirrelflight apologizes, but sees Dustpelt's tail curl up in amusement, and thinks he is excited as her to explore the island. Squirrelflight waits in the shelter of the tree roots along with Leafpool and Ashfur as she sees Brambleclaw padding to someone who is the exact copy of him. Squirrelflight hisses that she should've known, recognizing Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw's half-brother. She hears Hawkfrost greeting Brambleclaw, as he states that there is something he wants to show Brambleclaw. The two brothers pad away further into the island. :Squirrelflight looks for Leafpool, but spots her hurrying towards Mothwing, Hawkfrost's sister. Mothwing twines her tail with Leafpool's, excitedly talking to her. Squirrelflight suddenly feels lonely, knowing that exploring the island wouldn't be fun if she didn't have a friend to share the experience with. She hears a voice calling her name, and spins around to see Ashfur. Squirrelflight bounds over to him, and Ashfur asks where they want to start exploring first. Squirrelflight replies that she wants to see every pawstep, blinking at him warmly. She feels as if she knows there's no need to tell him how pleased she is that he wants to explore the island with her. :As the two cats pad across the island, Squirrelflight spots her mother, Sandstorm, who is sharpening her claws on a branch. Sandstorm comments that this place was much safer than the horseplace, which was where they had gathered for the Gathering last time. Ashfur and Squirrelflight walk across the shore of the island, and Squirrelflight points out that there are tiny fish in the water. Ashfur is confused, commenting that he doesn't see anything. Squirrelflight urges him to look closer, but comments regretfully that they are too small for prey. They continue to explore the island. Ashfur comments that it would be a great place to sun themselves on warm days, saying that they hadn't found anything like Sunningrocks on their territory yet. Squirrelflight reminds him that they hadn't explored the entire territory yet, and coming to the island would be a very long walk to sun themselves. :Squirrelflight spots Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost walking side by side together. Squirrelflight thinks that they don't seem interested in exploring the island, and they don't take notice of any of the cats around them. Squirrelflight wrenches her gaze away from Brambleclaw to a group of ShadowClan cats. She sees Tawnypelt, and she calls out a greeting. Tawnypelt acknowledges it with a flick of her tail. Squirrelflight sees a group of ShadowClan cats consisting of Russetfur, Rowanclaw, and Oakfur. Squirrelflight changes direction to avoid them, as Tawnypelt was the only friend she had in ShadowClan. :She asks Ashfur if he had noticed that they split up into their original Clans, as if the journey from the forest never happened. Ashfur points out that Brambleclaw is with Hawkfrost, and Squirrelflight grunts in response. Ashfur asks her if she is worried about Brambleclaw, and Squirrelflight replies that she certainly is not. Ashfur doesn't respond, and she confirms that she isn't, thinking Ashfur doesn't believe her. Ashfur tells Squirrelflight that Brambleclaw is an honorable cat, and although he is friends with Hawkfrost, he would never betray his Clanmates. :Squirrelflight flinches, wondering if it was so obvious that she no longer trusted Brambleclaw. She thinks that she surely knew him better than any cat in ThunderClan, wondering if she had become too close to him to judge him properly. She shakes her head, confused by her thoughts. She wants to trust Brambleclaw, but she thinks that he is determined to make that impossible with everything he says and does. The two cats drink from the lake at the shore of the island, and Ashfur comments that he can see why Hawkfrost wanted this to be RiverClan's camp, as there is everything a cat could want here. :Squirrelflight points out that there is not enough prey, as RiverClan do not eat fish all the time and it would be much of a hassle to carry prey from across the lake to the island. Ashfur shifts uneasily, hoping that Leopardstar doesn't claim the island for RiverClan now that the tree branch is here. Squirrelflight stares at him in alarm, exclaiming that she couldn't as StarClan put the tree bridge there for all of the Clans. Ashfur looks up at the sky, stating that if Leopardstar does plan to take the island, they should know about it soon enough as the Gathering is due to start soon. Squirrelflight states that they don't know where they're meeting, and Ashfur suggests they should go to the center of the island. The two cats head for the central thicket, and see and hear several Clan cats together. :Ashfur presumes this is where they will meet. Squirrelflight pushes her way through the thorns, and feels the thorns catching in her fur. She mutters that she will not get stuck again, and Ashfur laughs, saying that if she did, he would help her as she cannot miss the Gathering. Squirrelflight manages to push through, and is awestruck by what she sees. In the center of the island, there is a wide circle of grass that shines in the moonlight. It looks like a smaller version of the lake, with its surface rippling due to the light. There is a single oak tree in the middle, with roots wider than a cat's body. There are branches shifting on top of the oak, casting shadows on the ground. :Ashfur exclaims that this is perfect. Squirrelflight looks for her Clanmates, and realizes she is worried that ShadowClan and RiverClan would be as hostile as WindClan. She thinks to herself that this looks like a normal Gathering, with Clan cats comfortably sharing news with one another. She welcomes Leafpool as her sister walks over to her. Leafpool's eyes shine as she says she loves it here, and Squirrelflight guesses that she feels especially close to StarClan here. Firestar jumps over to the oak tree and climbs up the trunk, sitting on a low branch. He calls to the other Clan leaders, suggesting that they can sit on the branches to address the Clans. :Blackstar follows, agile for a cat of his bulk as he leaps next to Firestar with his tail hanging down. Ashfur whispers to Squirrelflight that he guesses Blackstar wishes he thought of the idea of sitting on the branches. Leopardstar climbs a branch further away from the two leaders, while Onestar perches himself on a branch above the leaders so he can look down on them. Mistyfoot, Ashfoot, and Russetfur sit on the roots of the tree, and Squirrelflight is pained that there is no ThunderClan deputy to join them yet. :Firestar welcomes the Clans to the Gathering, and asks Onestar if he would like to begin the Gathering. Squirrelflight watches as Onestar's pelt is turned silver by the moonlight. She recalls how uncertain he had looked when Tallstar had announced that he would be WindClan's new leader, and notes that there is no uncertainty in his eyes now, and he looks as if he has led his Clan for many moons. He announces that he has made his journey to the Moonpool, and he now has his nine lives. Squirrelflight looks around for Mudclaw's supporters, the cats who had truly believed that Mudclaw was the correct leader for WindClan when Tallstar had changed his mind and replaced Onestar for his deputy, and can only see Nightcloud. :She is looking up at Onestar with an unreadable expression. Onestar announces that Tornear, Crowfeather, and Ashfoot had drove away a fox away from their territory, and they had seen the last of it. The cats from the Clans chant the respective names, but Squirrelflight doesn't join it, muttering that Onestar hadn't even mentioned Mudclaw's rebellion or how ThunderClan helped them, and only warned them about the fox. Ashfur asks if she really thought he would. Onestar continues on with his report, stating that Weaselfur and Owlwhisker had been made warriors, and they are here tonight as full warriors of WindClan. When Onestar is finished, Leopardstar is already on her paws, announcing that there is no sign of the badger they had driven out a moon ago, thinking that it has gone for good. :Squirrelflight looks over to Hawkfrost, who had led the patrol to drive out the badger. Squirrelflight curls her lip as Hawkfrost looks unbelievably proud of himself. Squirrelflight thinks to herself that he is not the only cat to drive out a badger. Leopardstar announces that RiverClan had appointed a new warrior, Voletooth, who she mentions is sitting vigil in their camp tonight. Squirrelflight whispers to Leafpool that Leopardstar and Onestar seem very keen on reporting new warriors. Leafpool hisses fiercely why it is so important to be rivals instead of friends, asking if they had forgotten everything they had gone through. Squirrelflight is surprised by the ferocity of Leafpool's response, and that she feels so strongly about this. :She knows that medicine cats usually keep away from the rivalries between Clans, and that her friendship with Barkface, Littlecloud, and Mothwing wouldn't change no matter how hostile the Clans are. She then guesses that her sister had grown used to living with all the Clans. Leopardstar continues, claiming the marshes where they had originally camped and held Gatherings for her Clan, as they did not need that place anymore now that they had the island. Cats mutter among themselves, especially Barkface, who is frustrated that he cannot collect herbs there anymore. Blackstar points out that there was neutral territory at the old forest, and all the Clans have to agree that Leopardstar needs permission to claim the marshes. :Firestar points out that there is no need for neutral territory, and when Onestar vouches his support, Blackstar growls that he won't object if they all agree. When it is Firestar's turn to report, he announces that they had found a badger on their territory, and Brambleclaw had led the patrol to drive it away. He states that everything is well, and they had seen no signs of Twolegs. When Firestar is finished, Blackstar announces that they had found a badger set as well, but the scent was faint. Squirrelflight exchanges an alarmed glance with Ashfur, realizing that badgers must've lived by the lake due to the amount of sets being reported. Squirrelflight murmurs that she hopes they had seen the last of them. Ashfur meows that if they come back, they will deal with them. He teases her about liking badgers, and Squirrelflight retorts that Midnight was different. Squirrelflight states that as for the rest of the badgers, she wouldn't care if she never saw one again, adding that badgers and cats don't mix. :Before the Gathering ends, Firestar announces that they must decide where cats can travel to attend the Gathering. Squirrelflight comments that it is a good idea, and Blackstar tells Firestar that it is quicker for ThunderClan to travel across WindClan. Firestar stiffens, and Squirrelflight guesses that he is holding back a sharp retort. Firestar tells Blackstar that they still must discuss it. Leopardstar says she does not mind any cat coming from any direction of the tree bridge, but no cat must take prey from RiverClan land. Onestar adds that the same goes for WindClan, turning to Firestar. He tells the ginger cat that he can bring his cats across his territory, but he must keep within two fox-lengths of the lake, and if his warriors catch them anywhere else, they will regard it as a trespass. :Firestar replies that it sounds reasonable, and that it should be a general rule. He raises his voice, stating that a Clan can cross another territory to attend Gatherings, but they must travel within two fox-lengths of the lake shore, take no prey, and travel without stopping. Cinderpelt gets to her paws, asking if the same rule applies to cats who are traveling to the Moonpool. She adds that they must cross ThunderClan territory or the hills to reach the Moonpool. Onestar answers her question with warmth, due to the respect he has for Cinderpelt, saying that WindClan had always allowed cats to travel through their territory in the old forest when they were going to the Moonstone. Firestar agrees, saying that he does not see any reason to not do the same thing at the lake. Blackstar glares at Firestar, stating that those should be the only two exceptions or they might as well forget the boundaries all together. :Mistyfoot looks up from the root, saying that cats who cross borders aren't always hostile, adding that they might need to visit other Clans sometimes. She says they shouldn't be more suspicious here than they were at the forest. Squirrelflight recalls Mistyfoot's urgent visit to ThunderClan when she had presumed that Hawkfrost and Mudclaw were planning an attack on WindClan, and how she had asked for ThunderClan's help. Leafpool agrees with Mistyfoot softly, saying that they should all visit each other sometimes. Squirrelflight sees Leafpool looking off in the distance, but cannot focus on what she is looking at. :Firestar meows that if there is nothing else to say, they should end the Gathering. Blackstar replies that it is fine by him, and Onestar and Leopardstar nod. Firestar adds that cats who weren't at the Gathering need to be informed of the rules. Blackstar licks one of his paws and draws it over the ear, asking if that would be a job for deputies. Squirrelflight digs her claws in the ground, knowing that was a taunt aimed straight towards Firestar. She realizes that it is something Firestar cannot object to, and watches as Firestar gives a curt nod to Blackstar and jumps off the oak tree. Squirrelflight sighs, telling Ashfur that Blackstar won't let any cat forget that Firestar did not appoint another deputy when Graystripe disappeared, adding that Blackstar obviously thinks ThunderClan is weaker because of it. :Ashfur points out that if he tries to attack them, he'll find out just how wrong he was. Squirrelflight nods in agreement and gets up to stretch. She looks across the clearing and sees Hawkfrost murmuring in Brambleclaw's ear, and Brambleclaw nodding. Squirrelflight thinks grimly that Hawkfrost might be telling him how good of a deputy he would make. Squirrelflight looks at Brambleclaw, hardly recognizing him. She thinks that he certainly was not the cat she had traveled with to the Sun-drown-place to find Midnight. She is unable to remember how close they had once been. She looks at Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, standing together, suspicion prickling through her pelt. She asks herself if Brambleclaw really wanted to be deputy, and if he was looking forward to when Firestar would lose his last life. Thinking about the stories she had heard about Tigerstar, she wonders if Brambleclaw was prepared to take the same murderous path that Tigerstar had taken to become Clan leader. Characters Major *Ashfur }} Minor *Leafpool *Firestar *Goldenflower *Sandstorm *Cloudtail *Dustpelt *Spiderleg *Cinderpelt *Brackenfur *Onestar *Blackstar *Leopardstar *Crowfeather *Tornear *Hawkfrost *Mothwing *Tawnypelt *Russetfur *Rowanclaw *Oakfur *Littlecloud *Blackclaw *Mistyfoot *Ashfoot *Nightcloud *Owlwhisker *Weaselfur *Barkface }} Mentioned *Smoky *Tallstar *Mudclaw *Voletooth *Midnight *Graystripe *Tigerstar }} Important events *The first Gathering at the island takes place. Notes and references nl:Schemering/Hoofdstuk 5es:Crepúsculo/Capítulo 5 Category:The New Prophecy arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:Twilight